The Northern Iowa women’s basketball team is set to begin its season Wednesday, Oct. 29, in an exhibition game against Truman State.
Tanya Warren enters her 19th season as UNI’s head coach and is the Missouri Valley Conference’s all-time winningest coach.
Warren will lead one of the youngest teams of her tenure at UNI, featuring five freshmen: Abby Tuttle, Mya Nicholson, Anna Greene, Maren Schmotzer and Lauren Walker.
“There’s something about newness that excites me,” Warren said during the team’s media day. “The canvas is clear, and we get the opportunity to grab a pen and start writing and painting this picture how we want to see it unfold.”
The Panthers will rely on two seniors to lead the team: Taryn Wharton, who averaged 7.2 points during the 2024-25 season, and forward Ryley Goebel, who averaged 10.2 points per game. Goebel also led the team in rebounds, steals and blocks.
Goebel was one of a handful of players nationally to record at least 70 steals and 70 blocks in a season.
“She had a terrific junior year,” Warren said. “She’s done a really good job in the offseason of committing herself to scoring a little bit more. Her role has changed.”
Warren also added two transfers: senior guard Virginia Edmondson from Montreat College, who averaged 20.4 points last season, and guard Jenna Twedt, who averaged 16.1 at Kirkwood.
Junior guard Bri Robinson will also take on a bigger role this season. She played in 34 contests and averaged seven minutes per game in 2024-25.
The Panthers will play several marquee matchups, including hosting the No. 21 preseason-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes on Nov. 16. The team will travel to Creighton a few days later, on Nov. 20, and face Iowa State in Ames on Dec. 14.
UNI will open regular-season play at the McLeod Center on Nov. 3, hosting the North Dakota State Bison at 6 p.m.
